


a lovely way to burn

by springofviolets



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Sex, Bottom Shiro (Voltron), Established Relationship, Fuck Or Die, M/M, Oral Sex, Rimming, Sex Pollen, Top Keith (Voltron), VLD Final Episode What Final Episode | FEWFE, Very mild version of it, guest appearances by the other paladins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 00:18:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16691716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/springofviolets/pseuds/springofviolets
Summary: "Well." Coran attempts a delicate cough. "It sends the victim into a certain kind of fever, and it's deadly without the cure, which is rare and somewhat unpleasant... But you won't have to worry about that, since I stopped you in time!"or: Shiro ends up with sex pollen-esque food poisoning, and Keith is the only cure.





	a lovely way to burn

**Author's Note:**

> \- content note: this is technically a "fuck or die" scenario but it's very low-stakes/is not portrayed as dub-con, since keith and shiro are already in a romantic+sexual relationship when it happens.
> 
> \- a certain part is dedicated to [seasoda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasoda)... he'll know it when he sees it :) it's tiny, but i'm so glad ur back, bb!!!!! 
> 
> \- as always, thanks to [mercibeaucul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercibeaucul/pseuds/mercibeaucul) for the beta!
> 
> \- title is from "fever," and ya know what, i have no clue who has the original claim to that song, so pick your version.

"Appetizers, Paladins?" The waiter -- for the _tenth_ party thrown in the past _two_ months, after they had all recovered and more alien ambassadors were sent to Earth -- looks genuinely thrilled to be holding the platter for them to inspect, which means he's either awestruck (by them) or brainwashed (by customer service).

They've done their socializing and are waiting for the proper dinner to start, but Keith's stomach is getting a little grumbly at this point, so he takes one along with the rest of the group. It's a wedge of some kind of fruit that looks like a blue, inside-out pomegranate. They each take a slice, and the server moves on.

Allura is bringing hers to her mouth when Coran comes barrelling out of a nearby crowd and snatches it from her hands.

"Coran!" she exclaims, scandalized.

"Sorry, Princess," he replies, though he sounds only a smidge apologetic. "This appears to be a Krellian moonberry, which is _extremely_ dangerous to Alteans when consumed."

Romelle looks curiously at the wedge of fruit she had nearly eaten. "What does it do, exactly?"

"Well." Coran attempts a delicate cough. "It sends the victim into a certain kind of fever, and it's deadly without the cure, which is rare and somewhat unpleasant. We only know from one case because, actually, Allura, your father Alfor fell victim to it during a trip to Krellia once! Thankfully, I and another old friend of his were on hand and able to obtain the cure... But you won't have to worry about that, since I stopped you in time!"

"I see," Allura says. "Thank you for the warning, Coran." She sets her small plate on a table, but addresses the others. "Please, don't let us stop you from enjoying it."

The rest of the group shrugs as one and bites into them, discovering that it tastes nothing like the pomegranate it resembles; instead, it tastes almost like dark, bitter chocolate. Keith doesn't care for it--never has been an any kind of chocolate guy--but Lance and Shiro both go for seconds.

*

The party comes to halt when Shiro confides in Keith that he's feeling a little unwell. At Keith's pressing, he admits that okay, it's a little more than just unwell: he's sweating profusely, flushed everywhere, and, embarrassingly, had started getting hard as some ambassador was talking to him about the method of fertilization they use for crops on her home planet. Shiro looks mortified at the last part, but Keith is just alarmed, and hurries him off to the healing quarters for analysis.

"Well?" Keith asks half an hour later, arms are crossed, frown prominent. "Do you know what's wrong?"

Coran scratches at his mustache. "Ah. It appears we did not consider that the bit of Altean crystal inside Shiro, inside his arm, that is, would be enough for him to be vulnerable to the Krellian moonberry."

"You mean that one you warned us was _extremely dangerous, potentially deadly,_ at dinner?"

"I am so sorry," Allura says mournfully.

"Sorry doesn't make him better," Keith snaps. "Coran, you said you knew the cure. What is it?"

Coran perks up. "That's where we're in luck!" He ignores the look Keith gives him when he says _luck_. "All we need is the seed of a Galra male!"

"What," Hunk says, voice flat.

"Oh my god," Pidge groans.

Rather than looking surprised or upset, Keith just nods calmly. "That's it? Okay."

"It must be administered directly," Coran clarifies.

"Yeah, got it." Keith shucks off his jacket. "Anything else?"

The room is silent. He looks around at the others, who are watching him in mute surprise. He's starting to get frustrated, how they never feel the same urgency about Shiro; everyone should cherish Shiro the same way he does. "Why are you--what's making you guys so weird?"

Hunk and Lance look at each other. "I mean, dude, we kind of know how you feel about Shiro," Lance says. "You sure you're okay with this?"

Narrowing his eyes at them, he says, slowly, "Yeah. That's kind of what makes it easy, if you'd stop holding me up."

Allura's mouth is twisted in a frown, but she doesn't look angry, just perhaps a little sad. Keith is momentarily baffled trying to think of why, but she interrupts him.

"Keith," Allura begins, "we can still look for other options, surely there is some time--"

"What's wrong with you? Shiro could _die_." He throws her hand off his shoulder and moves towards the chamber holding Shiro. "No, I'm not wasting anymore time. I'm going to Shiro."

He storms out, letting the door shut loudly behind him.

("Hey," Lance says after a tick. "So when Coran said that this happened to your dad and he and an old friend were there to help...does that mean…"

"You may call me when Shiro has recovered," comes faintly from the hallway. Allura is already out the door.

"Keith boinking Shiro is going to be what tears this team apart," Lance muses, dabbing at his eyes.

"Can someone shut him up," Krolia asks. The space wolf just cocks his head at her.)

*

When Keith enters the room, Shiro is still conscious and alert, which is good, but flushed red all over his naked body. There's a single patch on his temple that's connected to a monitor, where his heart rate and temperature are displayed, currently in red. Both are too high.

"Keith," Shiro sighs, relief plain.

He sits on the edge of the cot. "Didn't mean to take so long. Rest of the team was being odd. Anyway, we figured it out." Keith rests his palm against Shiro's warm cheek.

Shiro nods and sits up. "Yeah? Hit me."

"So, uh." Keith grasps at how to phrase it. "Coran said it's… a male Galra's seed. You have to. You need to ingest my come, I guess."

Shiro, disregarding Keith's frown, snorts. "Wow. If that's the cure, you'd think I'd have immunity built up."

"Shiro," Keith growls, "this is serious."

"I know. I'm _seriously_ lucky that my boyfriend just happens to have the cure in his dick, which I already love." The universe is finally giving him a break, though he would have preferred to not be poisoned in the first place. Shiro draws Keith closer and catches his mouth in a kiss.

The taste of Keith lights something in him, a need to get more of it _now_. There's beeping in the background, numbers on the monitor increasing, but neither of them pay it any attention. Shiro nips at Keith's lips until his mouth opens, then he's sucking on Keith's tongue while he grabs at his hair, hips rolling. His human hand goes to the front of Keith's leggings, cupping the bulge of his cock.

Keith gasps. "Shiro." He presses back hard against Shiro's palm. "Just--take, do whatever you need, okay?"

Taking this as the permission it is, Shiro flips them over easily and slides down between Keith's legs. He noses at Keith's hip and then further in, inhaling the sweat and musk of him. Keith lets his legs fall open more. At first, he just pushes up Keith's shirt, exposing a sliver of his stomach. Keith is strong and muscular, but it's all beneath flat, smooth skin. Shiro presses an open-mouthed kiss to the skin, drags his tongue to down to dip into Keith's navel, making Keith gasp again and flex his stomach.

Shiro pushes the shirt up more, and spans both his hands across Keith's stomach, marveling at how small Keith is in comparison. He leaves another kiss, then another lower, until he's reached the swell in Keith's pants.

With a needy groan, Shiro pulls the waistband of Keith's pants and underwear down to his thighs, just enough to uncover his cock. Shiro's own cock is hard, but he's almost numb to it, can only think of how he's burning up and might die without the feel of Keith in his mouth.

Keith is big, and not just proportionate to the rest of him--his cock is long and thick, with slight ridges under the head, and tinged purple at the base near his hair. Shiro loves Keith's cock, loves sucking him, and right now he can't think of a reason he shouldn't live like this forever, here between Keith's thighs with his cock hot and heavy on his tongue. Every thought has fled his mind except for this, the desire for Keith's smell and taste and sweat and come, telling him he needs, _needs_ to swallow Keith down.

Precome beads at the tip of Keith's cock.  Shiro laps the slit and moans at the first taste, the musky-skin of his cock and the salty-bitter of the precome. The feverish thing in him is pleased, but he still burns hotter, the craving for Keith's come ever stronger.

He's hungry for it, wants to devour everything there is to take; every time he breathes in Keith's scent, his mouth feels drier, and he knows in every shivery, fire-lit pore of his body the only thing that will satisfy him is tasting Keith's come, as much of it as he can get. Shiro could milk him for this for days, but they'll start here. Shiro gives Keith's cock a few sloppy, wet kisses, then goes down on him in one smooth glide.

Above him, Keith is red-faced in awe, and Shiro swallows around the head of Keith's cock. Keith chokes on Shiro's name, hands coming to clutch at his hair.  Shiro's flesh hand caresses Keith's hipbone before moving to grab his ass, pulling Keith deeper into his throat, and he drinks in the noises Keith makes. When he bobs his head he lets his tongue drag along the length of Keith's cock on the way back up, suckling at the tip.

Keith moans, head thrown back with an arm over his face. "Shiro, I'm--I'm so close." That's the point. Shiro comes up off his cock again to tease the tip of his tongue under the head, over the ridges below it,  then sinks back down and sucks hard, and Keith clutches tighter at Shiro's hair with his other hand.

Keith comes in a powerful rush, toes curling and thighs squeezing around Shiro's head. Shiro swallows around him again, swallows down as much of the come as he can, then slides off and laps up the rest where it drips from the cockhead.

"God," Keith sighs. He gives a startled yelp when Shiro takes his softening cock back into his mouth.

Sheepishly, Shiro pulls away. "Sorry, baby," he says, all raspy. "I'm still--I think I still need something."

"Okay. Uh." Blinking, Keith tries to think. "Maybe because I'm only half-Galra it's...diluted?" Talking about jizz like it's medicine is kind of ridiculous, but also technically true here. He pets at Shiro's hair, tugs the forelock absentmindedly. "Hey, let's switch. How about I take care of you until I can go again? Won't take long. Maybe I should fuck you this time?"

Shiro's not usually the one getting fucked, mostly because they both just _really love it_ when he's fucking Keith. But right now, he can't believe he'd ever consider _not_ having Keith inside him, and he's suddenly painfully aware of how hard he is, how empty he feels.

Shiro grabs lube off the table next to them, very considerately left by whoever prepared the room, and tosses it to Keith. He then rolls over easily, onto his hands and knees, and looks back at Keith. His ass, like the rest of him, is muscular and glorious. Even though it's not the first time, it's still amazing seeing Shiro like this, all his thick muscle on display against the plain sheets, eagerly ass-up for him.  

"Oh, wow." Keith sucks in a breath and positions himself so he can knead at Shiro's ass cheeks.  "You really need it, huh?"

"Mmm." Shiro moans softly. "Keith, yeah. _Please_."

Without any warning, he spreads Shiro's ass open and kisses his hole. Shiro gives another muffled groan, and Keith grins. He loves how sensitive Shiro's ass is once it's finally touched. Keith flicks his tongue over the hole, feeling Shiro's muscles clench. He presses his face deeper and sucks another kiss against Shiro before pushing the tip of his tongue inside. He lasers his focus to Shiro under his mouth, curling his tongue inside him and pulling out to lap at his hole, squeezing his asscheeks, relishing the thickness of this part of Shiro.

The sounds Shiro makes every time Keith slips his tongue back inside are bringing his cock back to attention very quickly. It twitches between his legs, and he removes one hand from Shiro's ass to stroke himself. He tries to get closer and deeper, wetness on his chin and Shiro's sounds in his ears. Shiro pushes back against his face hard, and Keith moans into his ass, tugging at himself with urgency. He slides his other hand along Shiro's ass until it's at the crease, and then he presses his thumb in along with his tongue.

"Keith," Shiro moans, and buries his face in the pillow on the cot; it's sweaty, but mercifully cool. He pushes back into Keith, pleas for more caught in his throat. Keith hears them anyway. He slides his thumb out and fiddles with the lube, slicking up his fingers until they're dripping. As much as he wants to take his time with Shiro, they've already taken too much. He presses two fingers into Shiro this time, and on the stroke he adds a third, working them inside Shiro quickly.

"Fuck." He sounds like he's gritting his teeth, and Keith backs up in concern. Shiro's flushed and painting, brow furrowed. When he notices Keith has stopped, his eyes open. "Keith?"

"Hey," Keith says, removing his fingers and shifting up to look Shiro in the face. "Shit, sorry, was that too fast? You okay? I mean. Besides the obvious."

Shiro nods. "Just the fever starting to be uncomfortable again." Shiro licks his lips and glances down. "We should hurry, though, if you're ready."

Keith tries not to look at the monitor, but he expects the red numbers would be climbing.

"Yeah, babe," he says with a huff, darting forward to nip at Shiro's jaw. "You need my come, I know. Let's get you filled up." Keith leans back again, behind Shiro, and gives his thighs a light slap. "Spread your legs for me."

Shiro does as he says, and also uses the Altean hand to grip one of his cheeks and open himself up for Keith. Keith bites his lip and rubs his thumb over Shiro's pink hole, wet with his spit and lube.

" _Keith_ ," Shiro complains, voice sharp. It's so out of character for Shiro, who's usually on the other end of this kind of teasing and impatience, that if it weren't for the serious situation, Keith would laugh.

But the urgency is real, Keith knows. He reaches for the lube again and coats his cock, and then he's lining up the head of his cock to Shiro's hole, pushing inside. He goes slow, gradual, smooth, watching Shiro stretch open around him.

Shiro's back bows, and he gasps. " _Ahhhh_ , god, ah, Keith." His head drops down. "Don't hold back. It doesn't matter if I come."

 _Not true_ , Keith thinks as he grips Shiro's waist, eases out, and then slams back in, but he concedes that him coming first is priority for a reason, and throws all restraint, all concern about performance, out the window. He can take his time loving every inch of Shiro afterwards, when he's safe.

As his hips move, Keith pets Shiro's sides and kisses at his shoulder. "Shiro--I'm gonna be so good to you after. Promise." Shiro keens at the next hard thrust and tilts his head to the side, letting Keith suck a bruise there.

He plasters himself to Shiro's back, the skin still sticky and too-hot. Shiro's ass clenches around Keith. "Fuck," he groans. His hands move under Shiro to his pecs, and Keith _squeezes_ . When Shiro whines and curses under his breath, Keith grins. No reason Keith has to be the only one to have a good time.

"You love when I play with your tits, don't you, babe," Keith croons to him. He pinches at Shiro's nipples right as he starts fucking into him harder, hips snapping quick and ruthless. This does just as much for him, and he can feel his orgasm building quickly. He releases Shiro's nipples and goes back to cupping his muscled chest, pulling Shiro closer to him. "Wish I could come on them and then lick you clean."

"Keith, fuck. You need to come _in me,_ and _soon_ ," Shiro pants, and Keith realizes that his prosthetic arm is under him, jerking himself off.

"I love you so much," Keith tells him, fervently, reverently, and then lets himself get lost in the feel of Shiro around him, hot and tight, and then he's coming harder than he can ever remember, and it keeps going, until Shiro comes too and milks even more from Keith.

Shiro gives a long, hitching sob, and a "Yes, yes, Keith, want your come, need to be full of your come, _give it to me_ ," begging filthier than Keith could have dreamed. Then he collapses flat onto the bed and pulls Keith with him, his human arm flailing backwards to hold Keith close and keep Keith inside him.

Keith turns them over on their sides. He trails his fingers through the mess on Shiro's stomach, smearing it, imagining it was his own come. Shiro already feels cooler to the touch, and a glance at the monitor shows lower numbers in a calm blue. Keith exhales in relief and loops his arm around Shiro's chest. "How do you feel?"

"Hm," Shiro hums, and considers. " _Exhausted_. But better."  He twines his fingers with Keith's. "Thanks, baby, for being here. Love you too."

"Always. _Always_ ," Keith says, laying a kiss on Shiro's hair. "Get some rest," he adds, and he closes his eyes as well, but doesn't sleep.

*

There's a tentative knock on the door, and Keith pulls his clothes back on quickly. When he answers it, he steps outside the room into the hall; the entire team is there, and he motions for them to move further down, away from the door.

"How is Shiro?" Allura asks.

"He'll be fine," Keith says, glad to say it out loud, to someone else and not just himself. "I was just making sure he napped off any lingering effects."

Hunk claps him on the back. "And how are you doing, dude?"

"Uh, fine." Keith raises an eyebrow. "Circumstances aside… it's was nice to finally get some alone time with my boyfriend."

Nothing could prepare any of them for the sound that follows:

" _BOYFRIEND_?!" Lance shrieks. "What do you mean _boyfriend_!? When did this happen!? Who else here is secretly dating!?"

Keith stares at him. "Can you, like, breathe?" he asks flatly.

The door opens again, and Shiro shuffles out, rubbing at his head. "Is everything okay out here?"

Lance plants a finger in the middle of Shiro's chest. "What else are you hiding!?"

"Uh." Shiro's eyes dart to Keith, then back to Lance. "I actually can cook, I just don't like to, so I purposely burnt those cookies." He looks appropriately guilty. "I'm sorry, Hunk."

"Lance didn't know we were dating," Keith says, heading off any scandalized responses to Shiro's confession.

"In fairness," Allura interrupts. "I wasn't quite sure either."

Keith looks at them, bewildered, but the reactions from earlier starting to make more sense. "But we--come on. Shiro puts his hand on my thigh in meetings. _We sleep in the same room_."

"You've always been weirdly close," Pidge shrugs. "Matt had some stories."

"Plus you're always giving each other these lovesick, pining looks," Hunk says.

"We thought you were valiantly putting aside your feelings to rescue Shiro with your dick in his time of need," Lance says. "No, instead it's just another normal day for you two! Gettin' laid on the regular with no consideration for the rest of us!"

Hunk sighs, looking off into the distance. "I guess maybe they were just lovesick, minus the pining. That's still pretty romantic."

Keith growls, and Shiro grabs him around the waist. "We should have said something more directly," Shiro tells the rest of the Paladins, "and we apologize for any... awkwardness it's caused."

"How's this for direct," Keith snaps, and tugs Shiro to him. He yanks the first few buttons of Shiro's shirt open, displaying the long line of bruises on his neck and scratch marks on his chest, and then he tilts his face up to to kiss Shiro.

"Okay, point taken," Lance squeaks.

Keith wraps his arms around Shiro's neck. Shiro, still with traces of the moonberry in him, responds eagerly, pushing Keith against the wall and hiking Keith's leg up around his waist.

"We're very happy for you, bye!" Pidge says as she backs out of the hall with the  rest of the group.

They aren't spared a single glance by the pair. Purring at the successful display of possession and the fact that he has this man, alive and well, through sickness and into health, in his arms, Keith just kisses Shiro deeper.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/comments are loved!
> 
> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject) (including the [LLF Comment Builder](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/post/170952243543/now-presenting-the-llf-comment-builder-beta)), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> This author responds to comments.
> 
> -
> 
> you can also find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/springofviolets).


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